Sometimes a right white mountain Or great soft polar bear, Or lazy little flocks of sheep Move on in the blue air. The mountains tear themselves like floss, The bears all melt away. The little sheep will drift apart In such a sudden way. And then new sheep and mountains come. New polar bears appear And roll and tumble on again Up in the skies so clear. The polar bears would like to get Where polar bears belong. The mountains try so hard to stand In one place firm and strong. The little sheep all want to stop And pasture in the sky, But never can these things be done, Although they try and try!
I have the greatest fun at night, When casement windows are all bright. I make believe each one’s a square Of some great quilt up in the air.
The blocks of gold have black between, Wherever only night is seen. It surely makes a mammoth quilt-- With bits of dark and checks of gilt-- To cover up the tired day In such a cozy sort of way.
The baker’s boy delivers loaves All up and down our street. His car is white, his clothes are white, White to his very feet. I wonder if he stays that way. I don’t see how he does all day. I’d like to watch him going home When all the loaves are out. His clothes must look quite different then, At least I have no doubt.
What! Roses growing in a meadow Where all the cattle browse? I’d think they’d fear the very shadow Of daddy’s big rough cows.
In wintertime I have such fun When I play quoits with father. I beat him almost every game. He never seems to bother.
He looks at mother and just smiles. All this seems strange to me, For when he plays with grown-up folks, He beats them easily.
Mary Effie Lee Newsome was an American poet active primarily in the early-to-mid twentieth century. She wrote poetry for both adults and children, with a particular emphasis on nature and outdoor settings. Her poems typically employ direct language and imagery drawn from gardens, woods, and seasonal change. She also addressed the everyday lives of African American children, depicting them in familiar scenes. Newsome contributed poems to periodicals such as The Crisis and Opportunity, which were associated with the Harlem Renaissance. Her collection 'Gladiola Garden: Poems of Outdoors and Indoors for Young People' was published in 1940. In addition to writing, she worked as a teacher and librarian. Her work is recognized for its clear style and consistent focus on the natural world.
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